A former Vermont middle school coach and school safety officer has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a student and is expected to spend at least eight years in prison.

Forty-two-year-old Robert Dykes, formerly of Brattleboro Area Middle School, appeared in a Windham court this week. The Brattleboro Reformer reports the plea follows an earlier plea in federal court to possession of child pornography. He is facing eight to 20 years in federal prison. The most recent plea means he will serve his state sentence concurrently with the federal jail time.